yyiis^' 


THREE 

PERTINENT  QUESTIONS 

ANSWERED 


BY  ROBERT  E.  SPEER. 

• - •  - - 


FORM  No.  630 


BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS, 
156  Fifth  Ave.,  New  York  City. 


THREE  PERTINENT  QUESTIONS 

ANSWERED 


BY  FACTS  AND  FIGURES  FROM  DISTINGUISHED 

WITNESSES. 

I.  IS  THERE  ANY  REAL  NEED? 

1.  A  simple  arithmetical  statement  : 


Population. 

Area. 

Ordained 

Miss. 

Approx. 

Pop.  to  each 
Ord.  Miss. 
Approx. 

Square  Miles  to 
each  Ord.  Miss. 
Approx. 

China,  400,000.000 

5,500,000 

600 

700,000 

9,000 

India,  270,000,000 

1,383.504 

900 

300,000 

1,540 

Japan,  40,000,000 

148,456 

270 

200,000 

740 

Siam,  8,000, oOu 

280  564 

25 

300,000 

11,000 

S.  Amer.  35,000,000 

6,  854,100 

80 

440,000 

859,000 

Mexico,  10,0l>0,000 

743,948 

140 

70,000 

5,300 

Africa,  175,000,000 

11,514,770 

700 

250,000 

16,500 

U.  S.  70,000,000 

3,611,849 

100,000 

700 

35 

2.  Competent  evidence. 


Mrs.  Isabella  Bird  Bishop ,  traveler  :  “Just  one  or 
two  remarks  as  to  what  these  false  faiths  do.  They 
degrade  women  with  an  infinite  degradation.  I  have 
lived  in  zenanas  and  harems  and  have  seen  the  daily  life 
of  the  secluded  women,  and  I  can  speak  from  bitter  ex¬ 
perience  of  what  their  lives  are — the  intellect  dwarfed, — 
while  all  the  worst  passions  of  human  nature  are  stimu¬ 
lated  and  developed  to  a  fearful  degree — jealousy,  envy, 
murderous  hate,  intrigue,  running  to  such  an  extent  that 
in  some  countries  I  have  hardly  ever  been  in  a  woman’s 
house  or  near  a  woman’s  tent  without  being  asked  for 


4 


drugs  with  which  to,  disfigure  the  favorite  wife,  to  take 
away  her  life,  or  to  take  away  the  life  of  the  favorite 
wife’s  infant  son.  This  request  has  been  made  of  me 
nearly  two  hundred  times  !  ” 

Raj  Ram  Mohun  Roy ,  founder  of  the  Brahmo 
Somaj  :  “I  have  observed  that  both  in  their  writings 
and  conversation,  many  Europeans  feel  a  wish  to  palli¬ 
ate  and  soften  the  features  of  Hindu  idolatry,  and  are 
inclined  to  indicate  that  all  objects  of  worship  are  con¬ 
sidered  by  their  votaries  as  emblematical  represen¬ 
tations  of  the  supreme  Divinity.  If  this  were  indeed 
the  case,  I  might  perhaps  be  led  into  some  examination 
of  the  subject;  but  the  truth  is,  the  Hindus  of  the  pre¬ 
sent  day  have  no  such  views  of  the  subject,  but  firmly 
believe  in  the  real  existence  of  the  innumerable  gods  and 
goddesses ,  wrho  possess,  in  their  own  departments,  full 
and  independent  power  ;  and  to  propitiate  them,  and  not 
the  true  God,  are  temples  erected  and  ceremonies  per¬ 
formed.” 

“The  rigid  observance  of  caste  is  considered  in  so 
high  a  light  as  to  compensate  for  every  moral  defect. 
Even  the  most  atrocious  crimes  weigh  little  or  nothing 
in  the  balance  against  the  supposed  guilt  of  its  violation. 
Murder,  theft,  perjury,  though  brought  home  to  the 
party  by  a  judicial  sentence,  so  far  from  inducing  a  loss 
of  caste,  is  visited  with  no  peculiar  mark  of  infamy  or 
disgrace.  ” 

“  Other  religions  may  be  seated  in  the  mind  and 
soul,  but  the  stronghold  of  Hinduism  is  the  stomach.  A 
Hindu  may  retain  his  faith  against  all  arguments  and 
against  all  violence,  but  mix  a  bit  of  beef  in  his  food, 


5 


and  his  religion  is  gone!  Not  that  he  renounces  it,  but 
that  it  repudiates  him.  Let  half  a  dozen  Hindus  seize 
one  of  their  own  caste  and  forcibly  thrust  forbidden 
food  down  his  throat,  and  that  man  has  ceased  to  have 
any  rights  in  this  world  or  the  next.” 

“The  chief  part  of  the  theory  and  practice  of  Hindu¬ 
ism,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  is  made  to  consist  in  the  adoption 
of  a  peculiar  mode  of  diet,  the  least  aberration  from 
which  (even  though  the  conduct  of  the  offender  may  in 
other  respects  be  pure  and  blameless)  is  not  only  visited 
with  the  severest  censure,  but  actually  punished  by  ex¬ 
clusion  from  the  society  of  his  family  and  friends.  In 
a  word,  he  is  doomed  to  undergo  what  is  commonly 
called  loss  of  caste.” 

P.  C.  Mozoomdar ,  Hindu  reformer  :  “  The  idea  of 

brotherhood  and  equality  of  all  mankind  before  God, 
I  am  sorry  to  say,  is  not  to  be  found,  because  it  is  never 
recognized  in  any  of  our  ancient  writings.  The  idea 
is  decidedly  foreign,  western,  and  I  think  I  might  say 
Christian.  ” 

Iswar  Chandra  Vidyasagar ,  C.  I.  E.:  “An  ade¬ 
quate  idea  of  the  intolerable  hardships  of  early  widow¬ 
hood  can  be  formed  by  those  only  whose  daughters, 
sisters,  daughters-in-law  and  other  female  relations  have 
been  deprived  of  their  husbands  during  infancy.” 

* 1  When  men  are  void  of  pity  and  compassion,  of  a 
perception  of  right  and  wrong,  of  good  and  evil,  and 
when  men  cojisider  the  observance  of  mere  forms  as  the 
highest  of  duties  and  the  greatest  of  virtues,  in  such  a 
country  would  that  women  were  never  born.  Woman  L 
in  India  thy  lot  is  cast  in  misery!  ” 


c 


Dr.  Mohendra  Lai  Sircar:  “You  must  have  observed 
a  retrograde  movement  going  on  in  our  midst,  which  I 
fear  is  calculated  to  retard  the  progress  of  the  Hindu 
race.  I  mean  a  return  to  superstition  and  idolatries 
which  lie  as  the  blackest  blot  upon  this  part  of  the  world. 
The  crude  words  and  hazy  conceptions  of  the  sages  are 
looked  upon  as  absolute  truth.  No  man  is  allowed  to 
differ  from  them,  however  much  they  differ  from  one 
another,  or  however  much  they  differ  from  modern 
science.  Indeed,  if  we  are  to  believe  these  reactionaries, 
it  is  so  much  the  worse  for  the  modern  science  if  she 
will  not  confirm  her  doctrines  to  the  transcendental 
nonsense  of  the  sages.” 

Babu  Keshub  Chunder  Sen,  founder  of  the  Progress¬ 
ive  Somaj:  “Look  at  yourselves,  enchained  to  customs, 
deprived  of  freedom,  lorded  over  by  an  ignorant  and 
crafty  priesthood,  your  better  sense  and  better  feelings 
all  smothered  under  the  crushing  weight  of  custom. 
Look  at  your  homes,  scenes  of  indescribable  misery; 
your  wives  and  sisters,  your  mothers  and  daughters, 
immured  within  the  dungeon  of  the  zenana;  ignorant 
of  the  outside  world,  little  better  than  slaves,  whose 
charter  of  liberty  of  thought  and  action  has  been  ignor¬ 
ed.  Look  at  your  social  constitution  and  customs,  the 
mass  of  enervating,  demoralizing  and  degrading  curses 
they  are  working. 

“There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  root  of  all  evils 
which  afflict  Hindu  society,  that  which  constitutes  the 
chief  cause  of  its  degradation,  is  idolatry.  Idolatry  is 
the  curse  of  Hindustan,  the  deadly  canker  that  has  eaten 
into  the  vitals  of  native  society.” 


Rudyard  Kipling:  “What’s  the  matter  with  this 
country  (India)  is  not  in  the  least  political,  but  an  all- 
around  entanglement  of  physical,  social,  and  moral  evils 
and  corruptions,  all  more  or  less  due  to  the  unnatural 
treatment  of  women.  It  is  right  here  where  the  trouble 
is,  and  not  in  any  political  consideration  whatever. 
The  foundations  of  their  life  are  rotten — utterly  rotten. 
The  men  talk  of  their  rights  and  privileges!  I  have  seen 
the  women  that  bear  these  very  men,  and  again,  may 
God  forgive  the  men.” 

Sukumar  Haidar,  department  magistrate,  Jogardal: 
“What  is  forced  upon  the  notice  of  Englishmen  (in  In¬ 
dia)  by  daily  experience  gives  them  the  idea  that  Hin¬ 
duism  is  about  the  worst  religion  that  ever  claimed  a 
following.  Esoteric  Hinduism  to-day  has  scarcely  a 
single  element  of  unmixed  good  to  boast  of.” 

Henry  S.  Lunn ,  of  the  Grindewald  conference: 
“  The  Hindu  religion  is  but  the  deification  of  lust  and 
other  evil  passions.  Krishna,  the  great  Hindu  God,  is 
shown  in  its  scriptures  to  be  a  perjurer,  a  thief,  and  a 
murderer.  ” 

“  Such  is  the  obscene  character  of  the  pictures  and 
carvings  in  the  temples  and  on  the  idol  cars,  that  an  act 
of  the  Indian  legislature  in  1856  against  obscene  pictures 
had  especially  to  exempt  from  its  operation,  all  pictures, 
drawings,  or  carvings  in  the  temples,  or  on  the  idol 
cars.  ” 

Bishop  Parker ,  Church  of  England:  “I  found  the 
state  of  the  people  of  Africa  distinctly  worse  than  that 
of  the  people  of  India.  They  are  more  degraded,  more 
brutish.  The  people  are  so  superstitious  and  so  car- 


8 


nally-minded  and  ignorant,  it  is  difficult  to  find  any  ele¬ 
ments  of  truth  already  held  by  them  whereon  to  build 
higher  truths.” 

Dr.  Irnad-ud  din:  “I  found  nothing  in  Moham¬ 
medanism  from  which  an  unprejudiced  man  might  in 
his  heart  derive  true  hope  and  real  comfort,  though  I 
searched  for  it  earnestly  in  the  Koran,  the  Traditions, 
and  also  in  Sufiism.  Rites,  ceremonies  and  theories  I 
found  in  abundance,  but  not  the  slightest  spiritual  bene¬ 
fit  does  a  man  get  by  acting  on  them.  He  remains  fast 
held  in  the  grip  of  darkness  and  death.” 

Paul:  “  All  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory 
of  God.”. .  . .  “The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die.” 

II.  HAS  ANYTHING  EFFECTIVE  BEEN 
ACCOMPLISHED? 

1.  A  simple  arithmetical  statement: 

The  census  of  India,  for  example,  states  that  in 

1801,  there  were  198,087  Protestant  Christians 

1871,  “  “  286,987  “  “ 

1881,  “  “  492,883 

1891,  “  “  592,612  “  “ 

Modern  missions  were  born  with  William  Carey  one 
hundred  years  ago.  To-day  1,300,000  communicants 
are  reported  with  perhaps  5,000,000  adherents. 

2.  Unprejudiced  testimony. 

Mr.  V.  Nay  an  Aiyar,  a  Brahman  of  Travancore: 
“By  the  unceasing  efforts  and  self-denying  earnestness 
of  the  learned  body  of  the  Christian  missionaries  in  the 
country,  the  large  community  of  native  Christians  are 


9 


rapidly  advancing  in  their  moral,  intellectual  and  mater¬ 
ial  conditions. . .  Those  who  have  come  directly  under 
their  influence,  such  as  native  Christians,  have  nearly 
doubled  the  number  of  their  literates  since  1875.” 

Sir  William  Muir:  “And  they  are  not  shams  or  paper 
converts,  as  some  would  have  us  believe,  but  good, 
honest  Christians,  and  many  of  them  of  a  high  standard.  ” 

Sir  Charles  Elliot ,  Lt. -Governor  of  Bengal,  “I  make 
bold  to  say  that  if  missions  did  not  exist  it  would  be 
our  duty  to  invent  them.” 

Pittsburg  Times ,  May  23,  1895:  “The  missionary  is 
more  than  a  preacher  merely:  he  is  the  agent  of  advanced 
civilization,  and  therefore  worthy  of  the  support  of  every 
friend  of  humanity,  no  matter  what  his  creed  or  theory 
as  to  creeds.” 

Sabor,  Social  Democrat,  in  the  German  Parliament: 
“  We  acknowledge  that  there  has  been  a  healthful  activ¬ 
ity  developed  by  the  missionaries  in  Africa.  They  have 
shown  how  much  everywhere  in  the  world  is  to  be  ac¬ 
complished  by  patience  and  love;  they  have  proved  that 
even  with  uncivilized  tribes  hearts  which  have  a  fund 
of  goodness  can  accomplish  much  without  the  lash  of 
compulsion.” 

London  Quarterly  Review ,  Jan.,  1894:  “Blessings 
inevitably  follow  in  the  track  of  missions;  and  it  would 
seem,  therefore,  to  be  the  height  of  folly  to  sneer  at 
missionary  effort,  and  the  mark  of  culpable  ignorance 
not  to  know  what  is  doing  in  this  noble  field  of  human 
enterprise.  It  is  too  late  to  speak  of  efforts  as  futile  or 
fanatic  which  have  literally  girdled  the  globe  with  a 
chain  of  missionary  stations;  and  those  who  now  speak 


10 


scornfully  of  missions  are  simply  men  behind  their  age.” 

Charles  Denby ,  formerly  United  States  Minister  to 
China:  “  I  can  only  say  that  converts  to  Christianity  are 
numerous.  There  are  supposed  to  be  40,000  Protestant 
converts  in  China,  and  at  least  500,000  Catholic  converts. 
There  are  many  native  Christian  churches.  The  con¬ 
verts  seem  to  be  as  devout  as  people  of  any  other  race. 

“As  far  as  my  knowledge  extends,  I  can  and  do  say 
that  the  missionaries  in  China  are  self-sacrificing;  that 
their  lives  are  pure;  that  they  are  devoted  to  their  work; 
that  their  influence  is  beneficial  to  the  native;  that  the 
arts  and  sciences  and  civilization  are  greatly  spread  by 
their  efforts;  that  many  useful  western  books  are  trans¬ 
lated  by  them  into  Chinese;  that  they  are  the  leaders  in 
all  charitable  work,  giving  largely  themselves,  and  per¬ 
sonally  disbursing  the  funds  with  which  they  are  en¬ 
trusted;  that  they  do  make  converts,  and  such  converts 
are  mentally  benefited  by  conversion. 

Boston  Daily  Advertiser ,  October,  1894:  “  They  who 
do  not  know  what  they  are  talking  about,  still  say  that 
missionaries  have  made  no  impression  in  heathendom 
except  upon  a  relatively  small  fraction  of  the  lower  or¬ 
ders  of  mankind.  They  who  speak  from  knowledge  say 
that  in  Japan,  to  take  that  one  case,  Christian  ideas 
have  already  permeated  the  institutions  and  populations 
of  the  country  to  such  an  extent  that,  from  the  mikado 
to  the  humblest  laborer  at  four  cents  a  day,  there  is  no 
man  in  the  island  empire  who  does  not  directly  or  in¬ 
directly  feel  the  influence  of  the  new  religion,  if  not  as 
a  spiritual  force,  at  least  as  a  creative  energy  in  politics, 
industry  and  learning.” 


The  Rev.  Francis  Tiffany ,  Unitarian  minister:  “It 
seems,  however,  to  be  the  correct  thing  for  the  ordinary 
tourist  to  speak  with  unutterable  contempt  of  mission¬ 
aries,  and  then,  to  avoid  being  prejudiced  in  any  way, 
carefully  to  refrain  from  ever  going  within  ten  miles  of 
them  and  their  work.  The  thing  to  take  for  granted  is, 
that  they  are  narrow-minded  bigots,  with  nothing  they 
care  to  import  into  India  but  hell-fire.  To  all  this  I 
want  to  enter  my  emphatic  and  indignant  protest.  Such 
of  them  as  I  have  fallen  in  with  I  have  found  the  most 
earnest  and  broad-minded  men  and  women  anywhere  to 
be  encountered — the  men  and  women  best  acquainted 
with  Indian  thought,  customs  and  inward  life,  and  who 
are  doing  the  most  toward  the  elevation  of  the  rational 
and  moral  character  of  the  nation.” 

Leaflets  of  the  Hindu  Tract  Society:  “They  have  cast 
their  net  over  our  children  by  teaching  them  in  our 
schools,  and  they  have  already  made  thousands  of  Christ¬ 
ians,  and  are  continuing  to  do  so.  They  have  penetrated 
the  most  out-of-the-way  villiages  and  built  churches  there. 
If  we  continue  to  sleep  as  we  have  done  in  the  past,  not 
one  will  be  found  worshiping  in  the  temples  in  a  very 
short  time;  nay,  the  temples  themselves  will  be  converted 
into  Christian  churches.  Do  you  not  know  that  the 
number  of  Christians  is  increasing,  and  the  number  of 
Hindu  religionists  is  decreasing  every  day? 

“Patriots  of  India!  Be  warned  in  time!  Do  your 
duty!  The  Christian  belief  is  slowly  making  way.  It 
has  in  Europe  a  strong  and  powerful  organization, 
Hinduism  is  daily  being  robbed  of  its  votaries.  We 
have  slept  long  enough;  shall  we  now  at  last,  with  a  great 


12 


and  grave  danger  looming  before  us  in  all  its  huge  and 
hideous  proportions,  shake  off  our  lethargy?” 

Rear  Admiral  George  £.  Belknap ,  United  States 
Navy:  “Scoffer  and  sceptics  and  other  flippant  and 
thoughtless  people  will  tell  you  that  the  missions  are 
failures,  that  nothing  substantial  has  been  accomplished 
in  the  efforts  to  Christainize  the  peoples  of  the  Orient 
and  of  other  countries.  To  such  unbelievers  the  cease¬ 
less  progression  of  change  in  the  conditions  and  aspects 
of  the  material  universe  goes  on  under  their  very  eyes 
without  note  of  heed  or  instruction.  Benton  their  own 
aims  and  pleasures,  all  else  in  life  is  a  blank  to  them. 

“  The  chances  are,  indeed,  that  at  the  very  moment 
they  are  decrying  the  work  of  the  missions  they  are  reap¬ 
ing  benefit  and  advantage  in  their  business  affairs  from 
the  work  done  by  the  missionaries,  and  the  varied  infor¬ 
mation  gained  by  them  in  their  close  contact  with  the 
peoples  among  whom  they  have  labored.  I  assert  it  to 
be  a  fact  beyond  contradiction  that  there  is  not  a  ruler, 
official,  merchant,  or  any  other  person,  from  emperors, 
viceroys,  governors,  judges,  counselors,  generals,  min¬ 
isters,  admirals,  merchants  and  others,  down  to  the  low¬ 
est  coolies  in  China  and  Japan,  Siam  and  Korea,  who, 
in  their  association  or  dealings  with  their  fellowmen  in 
that  quarter  of  the  globe,  are  not  indebted  every  day  of 

their  lives  to  the  work  and  achievements  of  the  American 
}} 


missionaries. 


13 


III.  WHAT  IS  OUR  PRESENT  DUTY? 

1.  Our  home  churches  need  blessing.  This  is  the 
way  to  get  it. 

“There  was  a  time  during  my  ministry  when  I  tried 
to  comfort  my  serious  congregation,  but  they  still  com¬ 
plained  of  doubt  and  darkness,  and  I  knew  not  what  to 
do,  for  I  had  tried  my  best  to  bring  peace  to  the  mourn¬ 
ers  in  Zion.  Just  at  this  time  it  pleased  God  to  direct 
my  mind  in  a  very  special  manner  to  the  perishing  heath¬ 
en  in  India.  I  felt  we  had  been  living  too  much  for  our 
selves.  I  spoke  as  I  felt.  My  people  wrondered  and 
wept.  They  began  to  talk  about  supporting  a  mission. 
We  met  and  prayed  specially  for  it;  met  and  considered 
what  could  be  done  for  it;  met  and  did  what  we  could. 
And  while  all  this  was  going  on,  the  lamentations  ceased. 
The  sad  became  cheerful;  the  despairing  calm;  no  one 
complained  of  a  want  of  comfort.  And  I,  instead  of 
having  to  study  how  to  comfort  my  flock,  was  comforted 
by  them.” — Rev.  Andrew  Fuller. 

2.  We  have  a  world-wide  duty. 

(1.)  “This  Assembly  regards  the  whole  Church  as 
a  missionary  society,  whose  main  work  is  to  spread  the 
knowledge  of  salvation.” — General  Assembly ,  i86y. 

(2.)  “The  Presbyterian  Church  is  amissionary 
society,  the  object  of  which  is  to  aid  in  the  conversion 
of  the  world  and  every  member  of  the  church  is  a  mem¬ 
ber  for  life  of  said  society,  and  bound  to  do  all  in  his 
power  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  object.” — Words 
spoken  in  the  General  Assembly  0/1831 ,  and  repeated  in 
that  of  1843. 


14 


“We  would  here  express  our  solemn  conviction  that 
the  time  has  now  come  when  no  church,  and  scarcely 
any  church  member,  can  refrain  from  giving  something 
systematically  to  this  object  without  incurring  fearful 
guilt.” — Minutes  of  Board,  Eighth  Annual  Meeti?ig,  1846. 

3.  We  dare  not  shirk. 

“If  thou  forbear  to  deliver  them  that  are  drawn  unto 
death.  ' 

And  those  that  are  ready  to  be  slain; 

If  thou  sayest,  Behold  we  knew  it  not; 

Doth  not  He  that  pondereth  thy  heart  consider  it? 

And  He  that  keepeth  thy  soul,  doth  not  He  know  it? 
And  shall  not  He  render  to  every  man  according  to  his 
works?” 

“May  God  forgive  all  those  who  desert  us  in  our 
extremity.  May  he  save  them  all.  But  surely,  if  any 
sin  will  lie  with  crushing  weight  on  the  trembling,  shrink¬ 
ing  soul,  when  grim  death  draws  near;  if  any  sin  will 
clothe  the  face  of  the  final  Judge  with  an  angry  frown, 
withering  up  the  last  hope  of  the  condemned,  in  irre¬ 
mediable,  everlasting  despair,  it  is  the  sin  of  turning  a 
deaf  ear  to  the  plaintive  cry  of  ten  millions  of  immortal 
beings,  who,  by  their  darkness  and  misery,  cry  day  and 
night,  ‘Come  to  our  rescue,  ye  bright  sons  and  daught¬ 
ers  of  America,  come  and  save  us,  for  we  are  sinking 
into  hell.”’ — Adoniram  Judso?i. 

4.  More  than  one  million  dollars  annually  is  need¬ 
ed  for  the  work,  even  on  the  reduced  basis  to  which  the 
work  has  been  brought.  This  is  an  average  gift  of  about 
$1.10  from  each  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Who  can  dare  to  decline  to  do  his  share? 


15 


5.  This  is  the  world’s  one  certainly  triumphant 
movement.  It  cannot  fail.  Emerson  declared,  forty 
years  ago,  that  what  hold  the  popular  faith  had  upon 
the  people  was  “gone,  or  going.”  He  asked  why  we 
should  drag  the  dead  weight  of  the  Sunday  school  over 
the  globe,  and  lived  to  see  his  own  daughter  holding  a 
Sunday  school  for  little  Arab  children  on  the  Nile. 

“For  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  even  unto  -the  going 
down  of  the  same  my  name  shall  be  great  among  the 
Gentiles;  and  in  every  place  incense  shall  be  offered 
unto  my  name,  and  a  pure  offering:  for  my  name  shall 
be  great  among  the  heathen,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.” 
— Malachi  i:  n. 

“The  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the  King¬ 
doms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ;  and  he  shall  reign 
for  ever  and  ever.” — Revelation  xi  Jfj. 


